"The faint “afterglow” that fills the universe has long been one of the most important clues supporting the Big Bang theory. Known as cosmic microwave background radiation, this ancient light not only serves as a snapshot of the early universe, but also helps scientists understand how the very first galaxies came to be.
Now, a team of researchers from the Universities of Bonn, Prague, and Nanjing is challenging what we thought we knew.
--Their new calculations suggest that the strength of this background radiation may have been significantly overestimated.
*If their findings are confirmed, it could force scientists to rethink some of the most fundamental ideas in modern cosmology.
According to the standard model of cosmology, the universe began 13.8 billion years ago with the Big Bang. In the moments that followed, space, time, and matter burst into existence and the universe expanded rapidly. During the first 380,000 years, it also cooled down enough for electrons and protons to combine into neutral hydrogen atoms.
This milestone allowed light to travel freely through space for the first time, since photons were no longer constantly interacting with matter. That moment marked the birth of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the universe’s original light, still detectable today.
According to the standard model of cosmology, the universe began 13.8 billion years ago with the Big Bang. In the moments that followed, space, time, and matter burst into existence and the universe expanded rapidly. During the first 380,000 years, it also cooled down enough for electrons and protons to combine into neutral hydrogen atoms.
This milestone allowed light to travel freely through space for the first time, since photons were no longer constantly interacting with matter. That moment marked the birth of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the universe’s original light, still detectable today.
SciTechDaily